The Rocco Smart Fridge is an intelligent beverage cooler that provides real-time inventory visibility and remote control via a combination of embedded Linux, multi-camera computer vision, and cloud connectivity. The solution enables users to view fridge contents in a mobile app, automatically track inventory levels, and manage operational settings such as temperature and door control. The company turned to iomico to enable the innovative functionalities of their product.

Background

Traditional beverage fridges rely on manual checks for inventory and routine maintenance. This results in frequent operator visits, inconsistent stock levels, and limited insights into usage patterns. Rocco set out to create a next-generation fridge capable of automatic item detection, remote monitoring, and seamless integration with modern cloud and mobile ecosystems.

Challenge

To bring this concept to life, the system required:

• Multi-camera coverage inside the fridge despite limited space and lighting.

• A reliable embedded platform running Linux capable of video capture, compression, and cloud upload.

• A hardware design robust enough for continuous operation in a cold, high-humidity environment.

• Efficient computer vision algorithms capable of identifying beverages from video streams.

• Remote control communication protocols for temperature management, door locking, and firmware updates.
  
  

Solution Delivered by Iomico

Iomico designed, integrated, and validated the complete smart-fridge system, combining embedded engineering, hardware selection, camera driver development, CV pipelines, and cloud connectivity.

1. System Architecture & Hardware Integration

• Designed a Linux-based main board responsible for managing all sensors and peripherals.

• Integrated three strategically positioned camera modules:

  • Two wide-angle cameras cover the upper shelves.

  • One long-range camera aimed at deeper areas.

• Connected the main board to the fridge’s control electronics over RS-232 for temperature and door control.

• Executed a full hardware evaluation cycle, comparing SoMs from MediaTek, Rockchip, and NXP, and selecting the platform with the best performance-to-cost ratio.

2. Camera Driver Development

• Launched and validated the OS04A01 camera module on the embedded platform.

• Implemented and optimized drivers for the AR0144 module, adjusting sensor parameters and ensuring stable MIPI integration.

• Authored complete documentation for factory-level MIPI installation and testing procedures.

3. Computer Vision & Cloud Data Pipeline

• Implemented a CV pipeline capable of recognizing beverage types using an internal item database.

• Configured local video capture triggered by door-open events.

• Enabled video compression and wireless upload to AWS services.

• Developed logic for automatic inventory detection and analysis.

4. Connectivity and Control Features

• Integrated Wi-Fi for real-time data transfer.

• Enabled MQTT-based APIs for remote operations:

  • Temperature monitoring and configuration.

  • Door opening/locking.
    Status and diagnostics reporting.

• Implemented OTA firmware updates to support ongoing improvements.
  
  

5. Testing, QA, and Optimization

• Conducted extensive hardware testing under varying lighting, temperature, and physical conditions.
  Refined camera placement, settings, and CV accuracy.

• Ensured reliable performance across all hardware variations.

Additionally, Iomico supported backend, frontend, and hardware analysis tasks during several project phases to accelerate time-to-market.

Technical Summary

• Platform: Embedded Linux system with multi-camera setup

• Interfaces: RS-232, MIPI, Wi-Fi, MQTT

• Features:

  • Automated inventory detection

  • Real-time video access from mobile app

  • Temperature and door control

  • CV-based item recognition
    AWS cloud integration

  • OTA firmware updates
    
    

Impact

The Rocco Smart Beverage Fridge transforms traditional beverage management into a fully automated, data-driven process. Operators gain remote visibility into stock levels, reducing service visits and preventing out-of-stock situations. Commercial establishments benefit from lower operational costs and a modern user experience that increases efficiency and reliability.